Gate-latch.



L. E. BAILEY.

GATE LATCH. APPLICATION FILED JUNE 23, 19M.

13,140,562. Patented May 25, 1915. m az flu um'm Wm: IIIIIMI Illll'gla l b; J x? I m P n i2 .5 O Q ll 1 561 SQ INVEN TOR. WITNESSES:

gkm Z6212. 116 W A yet LEROY E. BAILEY, 0F MAIDERA, CALIFORNIA.

' GATE-LATCH.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 25, 1915.

Application filed June 23, 1914. Serial No. 846,769.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, LEROY E. BAILEY, a citizen of the United States, residing at Madera, in the county of Madera and State of California, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Gate-Latches; and I do declare the following to be a clear, full, and eXact description of the same, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the characters of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this application.

This invention relates to improvements in latches for swinging gates and particularly for that type of gate which swings on both sides of the gateway, the object of the invention being to produce a latch which will be positive in its action to lock and hold locked the gate when closed so that there will be no chance of it becoming ajar due to the carelessness of the operator in closing or opening the same or from other causes.

A further object of the invention is to produce a simple and inexpensive device and one which will be exceedinglyv effective for the purposes for which it is designed.

Ihese objects, I accomplish by means of such structure and relative arrangement 0 the parts as will fully appear by a perusal of the following specification and claim.

On the drawings, similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the several views.

Figure 1 is a side elevation of the structure of my improved latch. Fig. 2 is a front elevation of the same. Fig. 3 is a front elevation of the keeper plate without the catch structure.

Referring now more particularly to the characters of reference on the drawings, the numeral 1 designates the keeper plate which is provided with a pluralityof holes 2 by means of which it will be bolted or otherwise secured to the gate post. This plate is provided with a keeper slot 3 adapted to receive the catch 4 to be hereinafter described. The said keeper slot 3 is disposed centrally of the plate 1 and the said plate 1 is provided with a slot 5 extending from the upper edge of the keeper slot 3 to each edge of the said plate 1. The main portions of these slots 5 are of a width sufficient to allow 'of the free movement of the catch 4 therethrough and such slots 5 flare or enlarge outwardly at each end, as at 5, to allow of the free entrance of the catch 4 therein, the lower edges of the portions 5 being in a plane slightly lower than the plane of the bottom of the slot 3. The reason of this is that the bottom of the slot 3 is the lowest plane in which the catch 4 moves so that at all times, with the swinging of the gate, the said catch 4 will positively engage the flaring portions 5 of the slots 5 and then guide through said slots to the inner terminal thereof, at which point the said catch will be guided downwardly into the slot 3 by means of a point 6 formed centrally above the slot 3 as the inner terminal for each of the slots 5, the lower end of which point 6 is substantially in the same plane as the bottom edges of the slots 5.

The catch housing 7 is provided with a plate 8 having holes 9 by means of which the housing 7 may be suitably secured tothe gate, the catch 4 being pivotally mounted in the housing 7 as at 10, and being overweighted on its outer end to cause it to normally incline downwardly of its own weight, there being a finger member 4" on the outer end of such catch 4 to allow of it being moved on the pivotal point 10 to open the gate as will appear. When the gate swings on its hinges to closed position, the catch 4 will engage one or the other of the enlarged portions 5* of the slots 5 in the manner described above and will guide through the slot 5 until it strikes the point 6. The lower end of said point 6 being in the same plane as the bottom edge of the slot 5 this will throw the said catch 4 out of the slot 5 and into the keeper slot 3. This action will at all times be positive and when once in the keeper slot 3, the gate will not thereafter be capable of swinging open until the operator moves the finger member 4 to bring the catch 4 out of the keeper slot 3 and into one of the slots 5. When this is done of course the gate can then be opened in either direction.

I am aware that there have been other inventions embodying a means for guiding the catch into the keeper slot, but as far as I know all of these embody certain mechanical operating elements which are subject to the objection that they may stick or otherwise get out of order to prevent the positive guiding of the catch into the keeper slot. This objection I claim to have overcome by means of my slotted structure in the plate 1 which is at all times positive in its function and incapable of becoming inoperative.

From the foregoing description it will readily be seen that I have produced such a device as substantially fulfils the objects of the invention as set forth herein.

While this specification sets forth in detail the present and preferred construction of the device, still in practice, such deviations from such detail may be resorted to as do not form a departure from the spirit of the invention as defined by the appended claim.

' Having thus described my invention what claim as new and useful and desire to secure by Letters Patent is A device of the character described comprising the combination with a pivoted catch, of a keeper plate provided with a keeper slot adapted to receive said catch, said plate being provided with a guide slot communicating from each outer edge of the guide slots having their upper sides terminating in a point centrally above the keeper slot, the lower plane of such point'being in substantially the same plane as the lower sides of said guide slots, said guide slots between the outer and inner terminals thereof having their sides extending substantially parallel with each other, the end of said catch being of such width as to engage such parallel sides in sliding contact as it moves through said guide slots, as described.

' In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

LEROY E. BAILEY. V Witnesses:

VIRGIL coma, J. B. MOKEE.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G. 

